Whether you count down the days until February 14 every year, or think V-Day truly only benefits Hallmark, it’s officially that time again. The time when paper hearts are everywhere, rom-coms are unavoidable (woo-hoo!) -- and divorce rates are rising.

Sorry to be a buzzkill, but according to research compiled on Avvo.com, the requests for divorce lawyers around Valentine’s Day the past two years show an increase of about 40 percent. (Case in point: Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz filed for divorce less than a week before the big day.) So what’s the deal? According to Kelly Chang, an LA-based divorce lawyer, many couples are experiencing “delayed New Year’s resolutions” -- i.e., they’ve been thinking about separating for a while and finally muster up the motivation after the new year. In other cases, it may be the age-old “waiting to exhale” syndrome to blame -- when couples decide to file for divorce based on their spouse’s actions on V-Day.

Time to step up your game! Maybe splurge on that 20-pound box o’ chocolates this year? Just sayin’.

Plus, More From The Nest:

6 Secrets to a Sexy Bedroom
50 Hot Date Ideas
Cheesiest VDay Gifts Ever Received!

-- Caitlin Brody

See More: Love & Sex , Hot news topics